Genevieve Grotjan Feinstein

Genevieve Grotjan Feinstein , née Genevieve Grotjan , (* 1912 ; † 2006 ) was an American mathematician and cryptologist.

Feinstein initially wanted to become a math teacher and applied for a job as a cryptologist for the US government in 1939. After passing the tests, she was accepted and worked for the Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) on the deciphering of Purple , an Enigma- like encryption machine used by the Japanese for the diplomatic service. Based on an observation by Feinstein, William Friedman's group succeeded in breaking into the encryption system in 1940, and the diplomatic messages transmitted by the Japanese could be read during the Second World War. Then she continued to work on encryption machines for the Army Secret Service SIS. After the war she was also successfully involved in the VENONA project (decryption of the KGB's communications in North America). She developed a way to tell when the key had been reused, which allowed the code to be broken into. In 1947 she said goodbye and taught mathematics at George Mason University .

In 2010 she was inducted into the NSA Hall of Honor .

She married Hyman Feinstein, a chemist at the National Bureau of Standards, in 1943 and had a son. A prize for female cryptologists at George Mason University is named after her.

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personal data
SURNAME	Grotjan Feinstein, Genevieve
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Grotjan, Genevieve (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American mathematician and cryptologist
DATE OF BIRTH	1912
DATE OF DEATH	2006